The instant invention relates to document sheets containing a water-activated adhesive that are folded and sealed in a manner that they become converted into sealed document/envelopes which can be mailed by themselves without being inserted into another envelope and which when opened constitute a self-contained document. More particularly, the instant invention relates to apparatus for folding and sealing such document sheets.
Millions of business correspondence forms are utilized in commerce and the like, such as billing invoices, delivery notification, and the like. At the present time, multi-sheet business forms, some utilizing carbon paper or other means of duplication, are sold by manufacturers and delivered to the users. The forms are removed from their shipping container and inserted in a typewriter or printer which may be operated by a computer. The billing information or the like may be fed into a computer system which operates the typewriter or printer, to place the desired billing information on the forms. Each form may differ in its information, in that the typewriter or printer will insert a different customer with a different address, and a different billing amount (or other information) for each form.
In the above prior art systems, it is necessary for the forms to carry severable, lateral side strips having holes into which the pins of a form feeding sprocket fit, so that there is precise control of the position of the data entered onto the various layers of the business form, which is typically pre-printed. The pre-printed portions must of course be in precise registration with the material which is added by the computerized typewriter or printer.
After the desired information has been entered by the computerized typewriter or printer, the forms are manually severed from each other, and the side strips with holes are removed. The forms may then be placed in an envelope.
The amount of paper in the side strips generally constitutes approximately 10 percent of the entire paper used in the forms, and thus constitutes a significant waste of paper, since the side strips are discarded. Furthermore, a considerable amount of manual labor is necessary to remove the forms from the typewriter or printer, to separate the forms and insert them into envelopes. Additionally, a significant amount of waste and delay is encountered by the simple step of shipping the blank business forms to the processor, involving the added expense of packaging materials and shipping expenses.
In response to the foregoing problems, a process has been developed for the production of message-containing envelopes in which the message may differ. Because the lateral, removable, perforated portions for alignment are unnecessary, there is a substantial savings in paper. The end product of this process constitutes a sealed, addressed envelope, ready for mailing. Many of the processes utilized to form such envelopes are complex and require novel components and methods, which in many cases have proven commercially unreliable. The instant invention relates to apparatus for forming such envelopes from flexible sheets containing a water-activated adhesive but has the advantage that the apparatus is an addition to conventional buckle chute folding apparatus, and thus is easily and economically implemented.